CNN Student News 받아적기 (12.07)

Here's a deal on the payroll tax from A to Z. Americans have been getting a break on their federal payroll tax. What this means is that they are taking home a bit more of what they earn. For example, someone making around 50,000 dollars this year took home extra 1,500 dollars, thanks to the payroll tax break.
But the government has to take action to extend the payroll tax cuts into next year. Otherwise, the payroll tax goes back up and Americans see less money in their pay checks.
What democrats and republicans don't agree on is how to pay for this. Extending the payroll tax break would cost the government about 200 billion dollars.
Democrats including the president want to pay for this by raising taxes on millionaires whom they believe can afford to pay more.
Republicans don't want taxes to go up for anyone during a lousy economy. They want to pay for the extension by cutting government spending. Will the two sides find common ground? Maybe, Maybe not. But no matter how much you or your parents make, you will probably notice. There are only a few weeks left for Congress to vote on whether or not to extend the payroll tax cut. During a speech yesterday, president Obama urged Congress to act immediately. Democrats and Republicans have both been offering plans on this but the proposals have been criticized, sometimes from members of the same parties who offer them.


We yesterday brought you headlines from near and far, far away. Today, we are going a little bit farther like 600 light years. A light year is the distance that light travels in a year and 600 light years away, is where NASA scientists say they've discovered the first confirmed planet in what they called the habitable zone. That means in theory this planet could have liquid water on its surface. It was found during the Kepler mission which cost around 600 million dollars. Back in 2009, NASA launched this giant telescope out into space. It's exploring the milky way gallaxy for stars and their nearby planets.  
Scientists are looking for planets that could be like Earth. This one, which is called 'Kepler-22B' is the first one that NASA says it's found that could be similar to ours.
Our reporter looks at the comparisons.

Reporter:
Here's what we know. We have our sun and we have this blue line that's our earth's rotation, our orbit around our sun. The sun that they found up here Kepler---between the Kepler-22 system, slightly smaller than our sun, slightly cooler than our sun, but the same of the class, the same of the sun. And then, they found this planet rotating around it, almost the exact same distance away. In fact, we take 365 days to go around, or at least approximately. This planet takes 290 days to go around. So it's almost in the exact, perfect spot.


Before we go, taking pictures with Santa is a Christmas tradition. But for some canadians, that tradition's gone to the dogs.
This santa is posing for pix with pooches.The trick is getting them to sit still for the camera. At least their requests to the jolly guy in red aren't too complicated. What does a dog want for Christmas this year? Either a toy or a treat. Whether they have been naughty or nice, it still makes for a cute postcard which is the perfect way for these dogs to wish you happy "Happy Howl-idays."  Of course, the naughty ones better not expect anything from Santa on december 25th. They'd just be barking up the wrong christmas tree.

Remember the dealine is tomorrow for sending us an ireport about what you are looking forward to in 2012. If you 've already send one in, we need you to look for our e-mail reply what to do next. Back tommorrow with more headlines.